The Florida Gators coaching staff is out on the road checking out spring practices during the evaluation period that runs through the end of May.
This is a big period of recruiting, as the staff is able to evaluate guys and also try and set up visits for the summertime.
Gator Country’s members have a lot of questions about how the 2019 class will shake out and who are the top prospects that the Gators are after right now. We answer your questions in this week’s Florida Gators recruiting mailbag.
Well let’s dive right in to this week’s recruiting mailbag:
Jhunt42: Will Florida go after another quarterback for the 19 class since they are not going after Joe Burrow? If they are, do you think Peter Parrish is the quarterback they are going after?
AS: Right now, I lean towards just one quarterback in the class but that all depend on this fall. Parrish is a guy that Dan Mullen is high on so if they do go after a second quarterback in the class than I wouldn’t rule him out at all.
Ufgatordad: Any particular reason why offensive line recruiting has been struggling this cycle? Is it just related to staff turnover?
AS: Florida is in the mix for several top guys like Keiondre Jones, Will Putnam and Warren McClendon but just like any other position they want to see how the offense will do before they jump on board. The wait and see mode is still around.
Gators1992: This may have been posted already but will Jalon Jones compete at the Opening 7v7 or Elite 11 that gets shown on ESPN?
AS: Jones hasn’t been invited to the Elite 11 yet but there are few more spots still to be picked.
Chooch: Are you getting the vibe we are in a “wait and see” modes again with recruits wanting to see product on the field? As in, there is sincere interest and kids are excited about us, but nervous that we’ll be the same old gators (of the last few years)? Also, a lot has been made of our football dorms as of late, do you hear the chatter from kids about the dorms specifically (not facilities overall)?
AS: A lot of guys are in the wait and see mode and I know fans don’t like to hear that but guys want to see an offense before they commit. Do I expect Dan Mullen and the staff to add more guys to the class this summer? Yes, I do and I think they will top targets but I do expect a lot of big names to wait. As far as the dorms go, I do hear a lot about guys saying they’re in bad shape but I’ve never really heard a kid say he choose not to come to Florida because of that.
Jump_pass: How many defensive backs is Florida expected to take this year? They seem to be in the thick of things with a ton of the top kids. Derek Stingley, Chester Kimbrough, Kaiir Elam, Tyrique Stevenson, Chris Steele, Jaden Davis, Brendan Gant, Nick Cross, Maybe Akeem Dent. It sounds like they’re setting up to sign a very talented class in the secondary.
AS: The number is four and yes Florida is in the thick of for several top guys this year. You can even add Jordan Battle and DJ Turner to the list of top guys on the board. With Marco Wilson and CJ Henderson likely leaving at next year for the draft, this is a big year for defensive backs and the Gators need to reload the depth at the position.
UFsports24_7: Who do you expect our next commit to be and in what time frame?
AS: I’m not going to lie this is tough for sure because none of Florida’s targets have really came out and set a date yet. If I had to guess I would say Chester Kimbrough makes a decision sometime this summer and Florida is in good shape with him. I will say that I would expect a commitment in June at the latest.
Gatordon: How much of a factor does position reputation play in successful recruiting? We always seem to recruit extremely well recruiting defensive backs as opposed to how we have struggled at offensive line recruiting.
AS: Kids look at the position coach more so than the history of the position in most cases but Florida’s history with defensive backs is something every kid in America knows about. A lot of that has to do with the position itself and how much attention it gets compared to a position like offensive line. On that note though, John Hevesy should get a lot of attention because year in and year out he produces some very good offensive lineman so that should change the narrative from the past.
Macbgator: Who are our defensive tackle recruits and who do we most likely sign??
AS: Jaelin Humphries and Patrick Lucas are the true defensive tackles that are on the board but a guy like Nathan Pickering well likely see time inside as well. Florida is in the thick of for all three right now with Humphries and Pickering both scheduled to visit this weekend.
Irgator12: Will they allow you to have any barbecue at the picnic? Also, at the picnic who could possibly commit?
AS: Unfortunately the media didn’t get an invite to the barbecue but we will have a lot of updates from the event. As far as who could commit, I don’t see a clear cut guy that I would label as on commit watch this weekend. However it wouldn’t surprise me to see someone get caught up in the event and commit but that’s any big event.
Gatorboy08: Are we after 2 tight ends? If so, is it possible we could get 2 of Ethan Rae, Jaheel Billingsley, or Keon Zipperer?
AS: Two tight ends is the goal for this year and Florida would have for those two to be out of that group of three. Right now I don’t think it’s out of the question that they get two of those. Billingsley has said Florida is in his top two and Rae has Florida high up there. Zipperer doesn’t publically name any leaders but we know that Florida is still high on his list. Zipperer will likely take his recruitment deep into the process.
Scottb15: Camilo Eifler, originally from California and former 11th linebacker in the country is transferring from Washington. Do you think we have any interest or chance here I think we could use the help at linebacker.
AS: I haven’t heard of any interest from the Florida side or the Eifler side of things. While Florida needs at the position, they do have a little more depth this year than in years past.